Meeting: Ten Years After's Ric Lee On The Biz Of Music, Woodstock Chaos

Meeting: Ten Years After's Ric Lee On The Biz Of Music, Woodstock Chaos 

In parts one, two and three of our meeting arrangement with Ten Years After drummer Ric Lee, we talked about the late performers Alvin Lee and David Bowie, the current political atmosphere in the U.S., some of today's music demonstrations, visiting at age 70, surely understood sixties drummers including Mitch Mitchell and Ginger Baker and the admired Graham Bond Organization. Here, Lee takes us backstage for more Woodstock turmoil, and investigates the matter of music.  

Jim Clash: I never considered Ten Years After as fitting any promoting mold. 

Ric Lee: Alvin [Lee] dependably cited the expression for us as "underground." We truly and genuinely were a soul band, yet as Alvin additionally said, we were dynamic. When you listen to our music, we never play straight soul. We generally wind it a bit. 

JC: Maybe I'm wistful, however the sixties appeared to be more around an inventive base up way to deal with music versus top-town promoting of delivered item. 

RL: I absolutely concur. Be that as it may, I think you have to think back somewhat further. Where everything turned out badly was when bookkeepers moved into the [music] business as a rule, and above all else at the recording level. Things being what they are, in the forties and fifties you purchased a record as a keepsake of a band you'd seen. At the point when showcasing ventured in with everything on TV, the bookkeepers said, "We'll make records and attempt to make sense of what individuals will purchase." The same movement happened with live stuff – the promoters with Woodstock. After that, it was, "Hey, there's cash in celebrations, so we should make a celebration." 

JC: Earlier, we talked about the disarray simply getting to Woodstock. Is it accurate to say that it was as insane once you were there? 

RL: We were in a chopper with a surgeon. He let us know once we arrived not to drink anything that is not out of a fixed can and not to eat anything unless it's been cooked. There was an episode of hepatitis that could transform into a plague on the off chance that we were not watchful. When we arrived, there were no beverages, obviously, that weren't opened. I watched the start of [Joe] Cocker's set, which was fabulous, and not long after came the tempest. It was a smaller than expected typhoon I think, with extremely solid winds. The entire stage was live, yet they wouldn't give anyone a chance to use it. That celebration nowadays would not move beyond well being and security. In the event that you take a gander at the film, you'll see the covering for the stage was truly unfortunate. The entire thing got drenched. They were likewise frightened that the enormous speaker towers individuals were climbing and sitting on were lacking. The speakers were substantial. We were staggeringly fortunate none descended. 

RL: There were a couple of hours where nothing happened. Charge Graham arrived and was assuming responsibility, attempting to sort out stuff. Chip Monck arrived, as well. Nation Joe [And The Fish] said, "This is strange, we must support the general population secured in mud squashed together out there. We're going to do a few tunes acoustically." With drums on pots and container, they entertained the group, for a spell. 

JC: When did all of you at long last play? 

RL: When the force returned and everything was alright, we were because of go on yet Joe [Cocker] retreated to complete his electric set. He had played with us at the Fillmore East. He generally said he'd never tail us since we depleted the group of onlookers [laughs]. We wound up in front of an audience after 8 o'clock at night! 

JC: But the stage was dry? 

RL: Well, it was still extremely clammy. I recall that we needed to begin Good Morning Little School Girl four times in light of the fact that the guitars wouldn't stay in order. Alvin just would not play off key and attempt to sing to it. That was nerve-wracking on the grounds that 400,000 or 500,000 individuals – nobody appears to know the definite number — were staying there needing us to play. In those days, there were no electronic tuners, so everything was by ear. Leo [Lyons] was tone-hard of hearing, so Alvin needed to tune his bass! When we at long last got going, the group cherished it. What would I be able to say?